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Sunday, September 9, 2018

Mooncake Recipe

Some people have lamented that I didn't include a mooncake recipe in A Big Mooncake for Little Star.  There's a few reasons why I didn't-- there wasn't really enough room in the book to fit it in and mooncakes are  pretty difficult to make. I actually don't know anyone (not even my grandmother) who actually makes mooncakes, everyone I know just buys them. 

That said, if you do want to give it a shot, there is another children's book, The Shadow in the Moon by Christine Matula & illustrated by Pearl Law about the Moon Festival that does include a mooncake recipe.  To make a traditional looking mooncake, you will need a mooncake mold with the designs; but you can also use a silicone cookie mold to have it look more like the smooth cookie from A Big Mooncake for Little Star:
Mooncakes with Red-Bean Filling (from The Shadow in the Moon)
Ingredients
4 tbsp golden syrup (light corn syrup)
water mixture of 1tsp water & 1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 small can (200 g) sweetened red bean paste
egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp of water)

1. In a large bowl, mix golden syrup, water picture, vanilla and old, then add flour. Mix gently. Knead the dough for a minute and set aside for 40 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F
3. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a cylinder (1 inches in diameter) and cut into 12 equal pieces.
4. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten with your hand to make a small circle, not too thin.
5. Place a large rounded spoonful of the red bean pasties the center of each dough circle, wrap it, in the seams, then gently roll it into a ball shape. 
6. Place each ball in the mooncake mold and press. Transfer the mooncakes to a baking sheet.
7. Bake the mooncakes for 7 minutes, remove from the oven and brush on the egg wash with a baking brush.
8. Place the baking sheet back int he oven and bake for another 5 minutes, until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes, the remove from baking sheets.
9. Serve when cool.


*See all the Mooncake Activites I have available HERE!
And don't forget to share a photo of A Big Mooncake for Little Star on twitter* or instagram* with the #BigMooncake4LittleStar and to win one of these scarves!

A Big Mooncake Show



If you came to my book launch (thank you so much for coming!), you would have seen the real Little Star and I do what she calls "The Show." The Show is really just a little interactive readers' theater that you can do yourself! Below is the downloadable script.

 
Readers Theater
On the opening pages, Mama and Little Star are making a Big Mooncake in their kitchen. Here are some suggested ways to involve your read aloud audience from endpaper to endpaper.
DOWNLOAD Big Mooncake for Little Star: Readers Theater (PDF)


Of course, the huge mooncake prop that Little Star and I used for the show is a bit more elaborate than what you have to do! Here is a smaller, paper version that you can use:
Moon Nibble
This activity allows you to remove (and nibble) the phases of the moon just like Little Star. This activity pairs well with the Reader’s Theater.
DOWNLOAD Big Mooncake for Little Star: Moon Nibble (PDF)

*See all the Mooncake Activites I have available HERE!
And don't forget to share a photo of A Big Mooncake for Little Star on twitter* or instagram* with the #BigMooncake4LittleStar and to win one of these scarves!

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Make a Big Mooncake Phase Viewer!



Spoiler! In A Big Mooncake for Little Star someone is making the moon change shape! Thanks to the brilliant minds at Curious City, you, too, can do it. Using the download and these instruction make your own Moon Phase viewer!

  DOWNLOAD THE CRAFT HERE! And in case you need some help, watch the instructional video:




See all the Mooncake Activites I have available HERE!
And don't forget to share a photo of A Big Mooncake for Little Star on twitter* or instagram* with the #BigMooncake4LittleStar and to win one of these scarves!